Safe
by Madam Mare
Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Jemma Simmons was terrified of thunder storms.


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Ever since she was a little girl, Jemma Simmons was terrified of thunderstorms. She could vividly remember her first memory of one when she was just six years old. It was early morning, her parents still in bed. The sky was an eerie shade of green and the trees were blowing with fury. She wasn't frightened until the first bolt of lighting lit up the sky and the boom of thunder rattled the windows in her Sheffield home. She jumped back from where her face had been pressed against the glass window and made a beeline for her parents room. She dove between her parents, burrowing under the covers, her tiny frame shaking with fright.

Her mothers hand cradled her head soothingly and her father gave her a reassuring hug, "It's okay Peanut, just the angels bowling in Heaven," he murmured sleepily.

"You're safe Jem. Go back to sleep sweetie."

Her parents soon drifted back to sleep but Jemma still jumped with every roll of thunder.

At eight years old she felt she was too old to seek comfort from her parents and instead turned to cuddling her stuffed bear, Galileo, under her covers. She would never be too old for that.

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When she was a horse crazy pre-teen, a storm caught her off guard one afternoon at the countryside stable where she rode. The dark clouds blew in when she was just finishing up her ride and she hurried back to the stable, reaching its shelter just as the skies opened up. She led Aristotle, the tall grey gelding she leased back to his stall to untack him. Shaky hands undid the leather straps as she anticipated the incoming storm. When the first crack of thunder rolled through the barn, she fisted her fingers in Aristotle's mane, searching for something to anchor her.

The gelding gently lipped at the stray strands of hair that had come undone from her braid and his warm huffs of breath against her neck soothed her.

"Just hoofbeats in Heaven, hoofbeats in Heaven," she repeated to herself, smoothing invisible knots from Aristotle's mane. The action helped to soothe her frayed nerves, but didn't stop the slight tremble in her hands.

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"Bloody hell! It's really coming down out there!" Fitz exclaimed loudly as he closed the door behind him, hanging his now soaking wet coat up in the hall. "Jemma?" he called out, not receiving an answer from his best friend whom he had recently moved in with.

The apartment wasn't that large and Fitz soon saw that she was neither in the kitchen or the small living room. "Jemma? You home?" he knocked on her slightly ajar bedroom door.

Just then a large crack of thunder reverberated throughout the apartment and Fitz heard a whimper from her closet. He slowly pushed the door to the small space open, "Oh Jemma," he whispered, sinking to the floor next to her.

Jemma had her back against the far wall, clutching her knees to her chest, silent tears running down her face. She gestured a shaky hand to the mess she had created on the closet floor, a box filled with some childhood belongings scattered all over. "I-I can't find it. I don't know where he is."

As always, Fitz knew exactly what she was trying to say, "Wait here," he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before rushing off to his own room next door. Quickly he located the object he was looking for and hurried back to Jemma. He slid down the wall next to her offered her a stuffed monkey with a hesitant smile, "Mr John Logie Baird got me through some tough times."

Jemma held the monkey close to her chest, "Thank you Fitz."

He scooted closer to her, putting his arm around her when he saw her flinch at another boom of thunder and rubbed soothing circles on her shoulder, "It's okay, you're safe with me and Baird."

Jemma sank into his embrace letting Fitz's whispered words and motions eventually lull them both to sleep.

As time went on, they graduated from huddling together in the closet, to cuddling together in bed.

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They had been on the Bus for a little over eight months when it happened. Jemma was up late, reading in her bunk with the door open. The rest of the team asleep in their own bunks, and Melinda driving the Bus to their next destination.

With the Bus on autopilot, Melinda passed by Jemma's room, "We're heading into a storm, it might get a little bumpy," she alerted the scientist before continuing on her way.

Jemma felt the dread build up in her stomach and she reached to her bedside table where Baird was faithfully sitting. She reached behind her to close the shade on the small window in her bunk and flicked off the light after closing her door. She settled under the covers, Baird cuddled close to her chest as she concentrated on her breathing. She wanted more than anything to go next-door to Fitz, but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strict anti-fraternization policy forced them to keep their relationship from public eye.

The first bolt of lightening danced through the clouds just as the Bus hit some turbulence. Jemma closed her eyed and clutched Baird even closer to her.

Jemma heard her bunk door hiss open and then a large thud as the Bus hit a particularly rough patch of turbulence. "Bloody hell," Fitz whispered and Jemma could make out his outline rubbing his head where the turbulence had caused him to bump into the wall.

"Fitz? What are you-?"

He slid the door closed again before making his way over to her in the dark, "Shhh. Move over some," Fitz gently tapped her thigh through the quilt.

Jemma automatically moved closer to the edge of the small mattress and Fitz awkwardly crawled over her, sliding his body between hers and the window. He reached for her once he was settled and she scooted back into his embrace.

"Fitz, we can't. Section 17…" she trailed off regretfully.

"Doesn't matter,' he dropped a kiss behind her ear before nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Now hush and go to sleep."

Jemma smiled despite her anxiety, "Thank you Fitz. Love you."

"Love you too," He murmured sleepily, tightening his arms around her.

Jemma took a deep breath when the Bus jolted a bit, but in that moment, in Fitz's arms, she never felt safer.

~Fini~


End file.
